Anterhynchium (Anterhynchium) bugandanum Giordani Soika, 1987

Selis, Marco & Carpenter, James M., 2023, Revision of the Afrotropical species of the genus Anterhynchium de Saussure (Hymenoptera: Vespidae: Eumeninae), Zootaxa 5233 (1), pp. 1-102 : 54-55

Anterhynchium (Anterhynchium) bugandanum Giordani Soika, 1987 stat. nov.

( Fig. 11 )

Anterhynchium uncatum bugandanum Giordani Soika 1987: 196 , ♀, ♁—“ Uganda: Kampala ” (holotype BMNH).

Diagnosis. This species can be recognized by: coloration black with small red markings and abundant yellowish spots, pubescence of head and mesosoma dark brown to black, posterior lobe of tegula sharply pointed, metanotum with weak carina, propodeum rounded with a thin and straight tooth above propodeal valvula, dorsal face of propodeum entirely punctured, clypeus of male narrow apically, mid femur of male simple, vertex of female with foveae placed in small circular depression.

Description. MALE. Fore wing length 11.0–12.0 mm.

Head 1.2 × as wide as long in frontal view. Clypeus in lateral view convex in basal half, then flattened to the apex; in frontal view 1.1 × as long as wide, apical margin truncate and very narrow, about 0.2 × as wide as clypeal width, apical teeth dull and bluntly carinate. Interantennal space carinate. Distance from posterior ocellus to occipital carina 1.8 × as long as the distance from posterior ocellus to inner eye margin. Gena 0.7 × as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; occipital carina strong ventrally, becoming finer toward vertex. Scape 3.7 × as long as apically wide; F1 2.1 × as long as wide; F2–F10 longer than wide; F11 bacilliform, apically rounded and practically straight in lateral view, weakly curved in dorsal view, apex reaching middle of F8; F6–F10 with indistinct tyloids. Pronotal carina complete, elevated into a very short lamella; pretegular carina indistinct dorsally. Mesoscutum as long as wide between tegulae, evenly convex in lateral view. Scutellum convex, with a shallow median longitudinal furrow. Metanotum in lateral view weakly angled, horizontal and vertical faces not distinctly separated by a transverse carina, vertical face transversely convex. Tegula elongate, outer margin evenly convex, posterior lobe triangular and short, not reaching apex of parategula. Parategula large and weakly curved, with bluntly pointed apex, nearly flattened. Mesepisternum weakly convex, epicnemial carina complete, stronger ventrally and disappearing on upper margin. Propodeum in lateral view almost vertical; sides of posterior face flat and angularly meeting on median line, therefore posterior face large and weakly depressed; dorsal face convex; lateral face flat with weak apical depression; dorsal carinae absent, therefore dorsal and posterior faces are not clearly separated; lateral carina absent; inferior carina weak with a small tooth above propodeal valvula. T 1 in dorsal view 0.75 × as long as wide, almost parallel-sided, in lateral view with a flat vertical face which continues in a flattened horizontal face, transition broadly rounded; T 2 in dorsal view wider than long, in lateral view regularly convex from base to apex; S 2 in lateral view weakly and evenly convex basally, then flattened to apex, with a large median semicircular depression that runs from basal margin to posterior third of sternum, sides convex in anterior half.

Frons with flat-bottomed punctures, interspaces short and ridge-like on frons; punctures becoming deeper and smaller on vertex and gena; interantennal space and lower half of ocular sinus smooth. Clypeus dull and densely microstriate, with scattered shallow and barely visible punctures. Pronotum, mesoscutum and scutellum with deep punctures, interspaces irregular but always shorter than punctures diameter, punctures larger on pronotum; lateral face of pronotum microreticulate and shiny, impunctate. Metanotum coarsely punctured on horizontal face, interspaces irregular and ridge-like; vertical face punctured on dorsal half, impunctate and microreticulate ventrally. Mesepisternum, except epicnemium and posterior margin, with large flat-bottomed punctures, interspaces irregular, shorter and convex in dorsal half, becoming larger and flat posteroventrally. Dorsal plate of metaepisternum smooth and shiny, with some striae on dorsal third; ventral plate dull and microreticulate, with a series of shallow and indistinct punctures along anterior margin. Dorsal face of propodeum with coarse punctures and irregular striae; posterior face microreticulate, with some oblique striae in the middle of ventral half, becoming stronger ventrally; lateral faces dull and irregularly microstriate. T1 microreticulate, vertical face with very sparse fine punctures, horizontal face with deep small oblique punctures, interspaces many times larger than punctures diameter, becoming shorter medially. T2 punctured like T1, but punctures denser and coarser apically and laterally, leaving an impunctate apical margin. T3 punctured like preapical band on T2. T4–T6 densely microreticulate, with small punctures becoming shallower and finer apically. T7 densely micropunctate. S1 with transverse irregular striae on apical expanded part, basal narrow part dull with some punctures and striae apically. S2–S7 punctured like respective terga, but punctures deeper and sparser, interspaces shiny. Head and mesosoma with short setae, dark brown on black parts and pale on yellow and red parts; metasoma with dust-like pubescence.

Black; following parts ferruginous-red: antenna, tegula, lateral spots on scutellum, metanotum except posterior margin, almost whole mesepisternum below transverse sulcus, ventral plate of metaepisternum, propodeum except median longitudinal band, large basal spots on T1, whole S1, and legs except basal half of fore coxa; following part pale yellow: clypeus except margins, spot above interantennal space, small spot behind dorsal lobe of eye, broad band on anterior half of pronotum interrupted medially, posterior lobe of tegula, parategula, large dorsal spot on mesepisternum, basal spot on dorsal face of propodeum, lateral spots on T1–T5. Wings hyaline with orange tinge, venation dark ferruginous.

FEMALE. Fore wing length 13.0– 15.5 mm.

Like male, except: head 1.2 × as wide as long in frontal view; clypeus in frontal view pyriform, 1.15× as long as wide, apical margin narrow and truncate, apical corners forming rounded right angles, coarsely and densely punctured; gena as wide as eye at bottom of ocular sinus; vertex with circular depression near occipital margin; scape 4 × as long as apically wide; F1 2.1 × as long as wide; F2–F9 becoming proportionally shorter towards apex; F10 bullet shaped; clypeus entirely red.

Distribution. Uganda ( Giordani Soika 1987) ( Fig. 10 ).

Remarks. This species was described as a subspecies of Anterhynchium (A.) uncatum , a taxon synonymized below with A. (A.) mephisto , but deserves to be raised to specific rank due to the following characters [characters of mephisto in brackets]: propodeal teeth thin and straight, placed apically near valvulae [propodeal teeth always curved even if weakly, placed more dorsally], tegula with posterior lobe translucid and sharply pointed [posterior lobe of tegula opaque and bluntly pointed], parategula parallel sided and dorsally flattened [parategula curved and with posterior margin placed on a lower level than anterior margin], wings hyaline with yellowish tinges and weak golden effulgence [wings smoky fuscous with weak purplish effulgence], body black with many pale-yellowish spots and red present only on clypeus, lateral faces of mesosoma, metanotum, propodeum and T1 [more extensively red and yellow spots, if present, only on T2].

Figures

FIGURE 10. Distributional map of mephisto species-group.

FIGURE 11. Anterhynchium bugandanum Giordani Soika, 1987. A, habitus of female. B, head of male in frontal view. C, head of female in frontal view. D, head of female in dorsal view. E, flagellum of male in lateral view. F, propodeum in lateral view. G, T2 in dorsal view.